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Dark Shadows: 453
A séance has been held in the great house at Collinwood; a séance which has suspended time and space and sent Victoria Winters on an uncertain and frightening journey into the past - back to the year 1795. There, having been tried as a witch and condemned to hang, she has now escaped and become a hunted woman. Episode 453 is an untitled episode of the daytime Gothic soap opera series Dark Shadows. It was directed by John Sedwick and written by Gordon Russell. It originally aired on ABC on Monday, March 20th, 1968. In this episode, Victoria Winters and Peter Bradford escape from their would-be executioners and seek refuge with Ben Stokes at the Old House. Back at Collinwood, Daniel Collins begins to understand that his new legal guardian, Nathan Forbes, may not have the young boy's interests at heart. Synopsis .]] Peter Bradford helps Victoria Winters through the woods. Her arm is bleeding from the gunshot wound she suffered after escaping from jail. They stop to rest, but Peter insists that they must keep moving. If they can make it to the Old House, they will at least be safe momentarily. At Collinwood, Lieutenant Nathan Forbes relaxes in the drawing room with a drink. Daniel Collins enters the room and begins asking him questions about his sister Millicent. Nathan tells him that Millicent isn't feeling well and that she needs to be isolated for several days. He goes on to say that Millicent is suffering from a malady of the mind and even if Daniel were to see her, she likely would not recognize him. Daniel is not happy with this situation and all and expresses his desire to return to New York with his sister where they were happy. Daniel threatens to go see Joshua and Naomi since Nathan is proving so resistant, but Forbes reminds him that since Millicent is incapacitated, he is now Daniel's legal guardian - and that he will do anything he tells him to. Frightened by Nathan's suddenly explosive attitude, Daniel runs out of the house. Meanwhile, Peter manages to get Vicki to the Old House. The caretaker Ben Stokes comes into the living room and finds Vicki resting on the chair. Peter explains their situation and shows Ben Vicki's gunshot wound. Peter goes down to the servants' quarters to get some materials to dress her injury. Ben is not trained in medicine, but he is confidant that he can help stitch up the gunshot. Ben tells her that he will do anything he can to help them. Ben wants them to stay at the Old House, but Peter is against the idea as this would be the first place the authorities would look for them. Ben ponders the situation and tells them that he knows the perfect place to hide them. Suddenly, there is a knock on the front door and Ben hears Daniel's voice calling for him from outside. He hides Peter and Vicki inside a secret room behind a bookshelf. Daniel comes inside and begins poking around in the living room. Ben tries to shoo him away, but Daniel finds Vicki's torn sleeve. He also notices several splotches of blood on the floor leading to the book case. Ben orders him to go home, but Daniel doesn't listen. He tugs on the bookshelf and opens up the secret passage. Peter and Vicki come out and explain the situation to Daniel. Vicki makes him promise that he will not tell anyone that he has seen either of them this evening. Daniel tells Vick about things that have been going on at Collinwood. He tells her how Nathan and Millicent have been married and that she has now fallen ill. Forbes refuses to let him see her. Ben sends Daniel back to Collinwood, while he arranges to take Peter and Vicki to a safe haven. He brings them to the Collins family mausoleum up at Eagle Hill Cemetery. He opens a hidden panel on the back wall, which leads into a chamber. He tells them that the Collins family used to use this room to hide guns and ammunition during the war. He guarantees that they will be safe here. What they don't know is that Daniel has followed them to the cemetery. Daniel eventually returns to Collinwood, and Nathan stops him in the foyer. He asks him where he's been and Daniel replies that he was out for a walk. Nathan asks him who he met in the woods, but Daniel tells him that he hasn't seen anybody. Forbes doesn't believe him and points out several flecks of blood on Daniel's sleeve. Aware that Victoria and Peter have escaped from prison, Forbes suspects that it is Vicki's blood on Daniel's sleeve. Daniel insists that it is not and tells him that he doesn't know where the blood came from. At the mausoleum, Peter and Vicki try to get some rest. Vicki falls asleep and has a dream. In the dream, she sees a dark-cloaked man donning a pair of white gloves. The man comes up behind Daniel Collins and puts his hands about his throat. The man is revealed to be Nathan Forbes. Vicki awakens screaming Daniel's name. Cast Principal Cast Notes & Trivia * This episode is included on disc 1 of Dark Shadows DVD Collection 7 and disc 49 of the Dark Shadows: The Complete Original Series DVD collection. * Opening narration: Alexandra Moltke. * Closing still: Sunset through the trees. * Behind the scenes appearance of Riggs. * This episode establishes that it is a twenty-minute ride by horse to get to the Collins family mausoleum from the Old House. * Ben Stokes appeared last in episode 445. He appears next in episode 457. * This is the fifteenth appearance of Peter Bradford on Dark Shadows. Quotes * Nathan Forbes: You have to understand, Daniel, that she is not herself. Something's happened to her mind. She's no longer a rational person. .... * Daniel Collins: Are you trying to tell me that my sister is... crazy? .... * Nathan Forbes: Millicent was your legal guardian when you came here. Now that she's been incapacitated - I'm your legal guardian. .... * Nathan Forbes: Now you listen to me, Daniel, and you listen carefully. You are in my care now, you understand? And I am going to make all the decisions that affect you and your future! Now you behave yourself and cooperate with me, I can make life very pleasant for you. If not, I'm afraid I'll have to make it rather difficult. .... * Victoria Winters: A lot of people are looking for us, and they're going to be asking a lot of questions. I want you please to promise me that you won't tell anyone that you've seen us. Will you do that? .... * Nathan Forbes: If you do know anything about the witch, I'd advise you not to withhold it. See also External Links * * * * * * ---- Category:Dark Shadows: 1795 Flashback/Episodes Category:1968/Episodes Category:Episodes with plot summaries